Numb
by Lady of Tears
Summary: Harry Potter has been sent to Azkaban for the death of 50 muggles. His family works hard to try to free him. But before they can, Azkaban is captured by Voldemort and Harry is left in a web of deceit. Can he be rescued from it all before it consumes him?
1. The Blood of the Innocent

A/N: Welcome to "Numb." This is a slightly AU (Alternate Universe) story. For one, Number 12 is already known as the headquarters, and Harry's fifth year hasn't started NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, DON'T READ THIS NEXT SENTENCE!!! Sirius remains alive, and anything from Harry's fifth year in the book doesn't happen. NOW READ:This story is rated PG-13 for some rather violent scenes and blood. Also, this story is based on the song Numb. If you don't totally get it, the song is like Harry Potter's feelings and trying to remain himself in Azkaban and everywhere else. The "less like you" part can be anyone you want, the other prisoners, Voldemort, or who the Ministry says he is. I thought it fit and I hope you guys think so too. So, lets get started.  
  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JKR and the song "Numb" belongs to Linkin Park  
  
"Numb"  
  
I'm tired of being what you want me to be  
  
Feeling so faithless  
  
Lost under the surface  
  
I don't know what you're expecting of me  
  
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes...  
  
I've become so numb  
  
I can't feel you there  
  
I've become so tired  
  
So much more aware  
  
I'm becoming this  
  
All I want to do  
  
Is be more like me and be less like you  
  
Can't you see that you're smothering me?  
  
Holding too tightly  
  
Afraid to lose control  
  
Cause everything that you thought I would be  
  
Has fallen apart right in front of you  
  
*Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow*  
  
Every step that I take is another mistake to you  
  
*Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow*  
  
And every second I waste is more than I can take  
  
I've become so numb  
  
I can't feel you there  
  
I've become so tired  
  
So much more aware  
  
I'm becoming this  
  
All I want to do  
  
Is be more like me and be less like you  
  
And I know  
  
I may end up failing too  
  
But I know  
  
You were just like me with someone disappointed in you  
  
I've become so numb  
  
I can't feel you there  
  
I've become so tired  
  
So much more aware  
  
I'm becoming this  
  
All I want to do  
  
Is be more like me and be less like you  
  
Chapter One: The Blood of the Innocent  
  
Harry knelt weakly in the pools of shimmering blood that covered the street. He blankly stared at the masses of tangled body's that lay in odd shapes and forms all around here. Harry could hear a strange ringing in his ears, droning out the terrified screams erupting around him. Vomit was slowly rising in his throat as the smell of death filled his nostrils. A dark cloud hovered in his mind. He pressed his temple hard, trying to make the pain go away. Harry couldn't remember.......the last image he could see was a long needle.......a piercing of his skin. He looked down and saw a tiny hole on his arm. Everything was a jumble. Where was he? What was going on? Suddenly he was roughly pulled up, his stained wand clattering to the ground. A sad voice broke through all the sound.  
  
"What have you done Harry? What have you done?" Albus Dumbledore was holding him tightly, an expression of calm horror on his face.  
  
"I don't know.......nothing." Memories were flooding back. Ms. Figg.......a familiar high-pitched laughter. He couldn't make sense of it.......nothing was making sense. Dumbledore slowly picked up Harry's wand and muttered something Harry couldn't hear. The echo of the spell flickered around them and the screaming returned to Harry's ears. Dumbledore's face darkened.  
  
"Harry, how could you? How could you do this?" Dumbledore let go of Harry and he felt strong arms grip him. Harry cringed as someone began to drag him along the ground. He realized what was happening.  
  
"No......." he croaked. "I didn't do it! Please Professor! You know me! You know!" Dumbledore shook his head sadly. Harry couldn't stand the look he was giving him. It was a look of betrayal, and Harry could feel their walls of trust crumbling. Anger bubbled inside him.  
  
"He thinks I did it.......he thinks I did it......." he thought weakly. Everything was exploding in the pit of his stomach. Dumbledore's voice bore into him.  
  
"I'm so sorry Harry. There's nothing I can do." A tear slid down his cheek as Harry began to fight the Hit Wizards. His scrawny body thrashed in their arms, his black hair flying around his face. His screaming grew louder than that of everything around him. He struggled till his was thrown into the back of the magical car. He immediately began to pound on his metal cage. Dumbledore gripped Harry's wand tightly in pain as he heard Harry screaming for help. But for once, he couldn't save him. He couldn't make any of this right again.  
  
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"Let.......me.......out!" Sirius Black growled dangerously as he tried to make his way past his friend. Remus Lupin kept holding him back, blocking the way out of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.  
  
"Sirius, listen to me!" Lupin held on tightly to Sirius's shoulders. "Harry was caught......."a sob escaped his lips, "we can't help him now. You can't help him. That's the last thing Harry would want. He wouldn't want you to be captured." Sirius looked at him, his face lined with fury.  
  
"I won't just sit by and let this happen!" He grabbed Lupin by the collar and pushed him hard against the door. "How could Dumbledore just let them take him? I know he didn't do it! He didn't do it!" Sirius was breathing hard, an icy hand squeezing his heart. He slowly collapsed into Lupin's arms, tears streaming down his face. "I know he didn't do it......." Lupin rubbed his back.  
  
"Dumbledore will help him, don't worry." Sirius looked up, his face still contorted with pain.  
  
"He better."  
  
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Harry's voice broke and his screaming subsided, his face in his hands. His arm was throbbing painfully, and Harry could almost feel something other than blood running through him. The black car came to a halt and sunlight streamed onto his face. He looked up into two ice brown eyes  
  
"Get up." The man grabbed his arm and yanked him up. They wind blew bitterly and the salty waves crashed up against the grainy sand. Off in the distance Harry could see a tiny island, and his suddenly his heart stopped. They weren't taking him there.......anywhere but Azkaban. He was pushed into a tiny boat, the man still holding his hands tightly behind his back. They were immediately propelled, coldness growing with each inch they traveled. It took a good hour till they reached a crumbling dock, rocking back and forth in the sea. The water was so deep, it seemed to be bottomless, a great depth of darkness. Harry began to shake as he saw the flowing black robes of the Dementors, gliding over the barren land. He tried not to scream as he was taken out of the boat and pulled away by the Dementors. The familiar sound of his mother's begging and pleading filled his mind. After just minutes passed, Harry lost sense of time. All he could fell was the pain, endless and eternal. It never seemed to stop and Harry couldn't think of anything but every horror he'd ever seen, his parents dying, Cedric Diggory, the awful years of his childhood. Harry couldn't tell what was going on, but he felt his body hit a cold hard ground. He just lay there, trying to keep his will to live, for his breathing was slowly subsiding.  
  
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"He's just 15!" Dumbledore flashed his eyes angrily at Cornelius Fudge, though keeping his face calm, his voice quiet. "You can't send a minor to Azkaban Cornelius. They wouldn't last. It's immorally wrong."  
  
"He killed fifty innocent muggles! We had nowhere else to send him. He'll have to wait there for his trial." He pointed a finger at Dumbledore and added, "And your lucky he's even getting a trial! I didn't have to give him one. I could have just let the Dementors kiss him." Dumbledore stood up silently and made his way to the door.  
  
"You are blinded Cornelius. You can't see past what's put in front of you. There's always a bigger story. We have nothing left to discuss." He walked out and let the door quietly click.  
  
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Lupin placed his face into his hands. He rocked back and forth, trying to clear his jumbled thoughts. But for some reason, all he could think of was the past, how things used to be, how things could have been. He let out a weak chuckle. Lily and James would've killed them if they knew what was going on, if they could suddenly appear in flesh. Sirius was upstairs; leaving after his rage had gotten the better of him. Lupin had left the broken glass Sirius had shattered on the floor, too tired to care. He didn't bother to look up when he heard the door open. Mrs. Black began to scream louder than ever, but she was quickly silenced. Dumbledore walked slowly into the room, none of the familiar twinkle in his eyes.  
  
"What's going on Albus? Where did they take him?" Dumbledore frowned slightly as Lupin questioned him. He let out a sigh.  
  
"Azkaban, Remus. They've taken him to Azkaban." Remus gasped and the tears that had already begun to form silently slid down his pale cheeks.  
  
"Azkaban.......how could they? He.......he didn't do anything. He could.......could.......die in there......."  
  
"We'll get him out of there Remus." Dumbledore glanced around the empty house. "Where is everyone?"  
  
"I sent them home. Hermione was having a fit, and I figured that Number 12 wouldn't be the best place for them to get some peace. So it's only Sirius and me." Dumbledore nodded and made his way back to the door.  
  
"I've got a lot to do to straighten all this out. I'll contact you if I have information." Lupin shook Dumbledore's hand as they both journeyed outside. "Harry will get through this. Azkaban won't break him easily." A smile flickered across Dumbledore's face.  
  
"What if it does? What if he's sent there for life? Sirius was sentenced to life for 13 murders. Fifty will be much worse, won't it?" The smile passed as quickly as it had come.  
  
"Should that happen......." Dumbledore paused, trying to find the right words. "The boy name Harry Potter will cease to exist. And in his place will be a soulless shell.......and we'll never be able to save him.  
  
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A/N: That's the end of the first chapter. I tried to make it deep and suspenseful! Please R&R, it helps get me motivated to write more. 


	2. Trapped in Torture

A/N: This chapter is one of the main points for the whole story. It sets up a lot of major conflicts that will be used later on and it explains a lot of confusing things. Also, at the beginning of each chapter I'll put the chorus to "Numb"  
  
Disclaimer: JKR own HP and Linkin Park owns the song "Numb."  
  
I've become so numb  
  
I can't feel you there  
  
I've become so tired  
  
So much more aware  
  
I'm becoming this  
  
All I want to do  
  
Is be more like me and be less like you  
  
Chapter Two: Trapped in Torture  
  
Harry awoke the next morning to the sound of something being pushed through his door. He blinked at the small metal plate that held a single chunk of bread. His mind was unusually clear, though he was still bathed in cold sweat. Harry took a bite of the bread. It was hard and stale and made his throat burn in thirst. He gulped up every last drop of water that was in the tiny cup on the plate. He curled up in the corner, trying to greater the distance between himself and the Dementors. Harry thought about Sirius and all the others. Surely they would try to free him? Harry smiled as he thought about Hermione and Ron and all the times they had spent laughing. But suddenly he was bathed in coldness and he saw a Dementor standing outside his door. It sucked up that happy memory, leaving Harry shaking as screaming filled his head. But something else entered his mind, though not new, but it seemed closer than ever before. It was a high-pitched laughter that sounded like ice.  
  
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"When will they pick him up?" Arthur Weasley asked as Dumbledore once again stepped out of Fudge's office.  
  
"This afternoon. It didn't take long for Fudge to set a trail date." Mr. Weasley frowned.  
  
"They have no case. It would be impossible for someone his age to kill all those people." Mr. Weasley cleared his throat and whispered to Dumbledore, "Even Pettigrew didn't kill that many, and he's a fully grown wizard."  
  
"Yes, this is true. But remember Arthur, the Ministry knows Harry is no ordinary wizard. They'll use his exceptional achievements in the past to their advantage. The evidence against him is growing."  
  
"But you believe him don't you Albus?"  
  
"Of course. There is no way Harry Potter could ever do such a thing." Suddenly they heard screaming as a girl with long blonde hair and glassy blue eyes ran into the Ministry. Fudge burst out of his office, face contorted with annoyance.  
  
"What in bloody hell is going on out here?" The girl panted as she collapsed in front of him. Deep red trickles of blood ran down her cheeks. Fudge gasped.  
  
"Gone all gone......." She burst into tears. Mr. Weasley bent down and rubbed her back.  
  
"It's okay Mirella. Now why aren't you on duty at Azkaban? Where's Roger?" They had been the only two on the shores that led to Azkaban last night.  
  
"Roger.......Roger's dead." She wailed loudly, breaking the silence that had developed around him. Mr. Weasley took in a sharp breath.  
  
"What happened Mirella?"  
  
"He came.......killed Roger.......tons of them.......I just got out.......taken over......."  
  
"What do you mean?" Fudge asked quickly. Mirella choked as she tried to clear her voice.  
  
"Taken over Azkaban. Demontor's joined him."  
  
"Who Mirella?" Fudge said, panic now rising in his voice. She looked up at him, eyes red and puffy.  
  
"You-Know-Who. He's taken over Azkaban." That was the last thing she said before her world went black.  
  
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Mrs. Molly Weasley screamed. Hermione was on the floor sobbing, with Ron just standing in shock in the corner. The rest of the household had rushed to the Ministry. An emergency issue of the Daily Prophet was lying on the table covered in their breakfast, with a large headline that said:  
  
Azkaban captured by You-Know-Who; All Prisoners trapped Inside  
  
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Remus cringed as the house erupted in shatters. Glass was flying every where; screams echoing down the halls. Sirius had lost it, seeing the Daily Prophet. Remus himself felt like a million knives had been stabbed into him when he read the headline. Harry was trapped in Azkaban.......along with every person who wanted to kill him.  
  
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"What are we going to do Dumbledore?" Fudge asked wearily, rubbing his aching eyes. "The whole wizarding world is in a panic."  
  
"We need to clam them down. The last thing we need is a mutiny." Alastor Moody growled, his magical blue eye resting on Fudge.  
  
"So, lets get the facts straight. You-Know-Who and his Deatheaters arrived on the shore and killed Roger Clearnick. Mirella Rosenta escaped. The Dementors joined him, giving him control of Azkaban. And now he has some of the darkest creatures on Earth at his disposal." Mr. Weasley said bluntly, sparing the details. Percy put a hand on his father's shoulder, and the twins lurked darkly in the corner, all blood drained from their faces. Dumbledore had just stood there, looking as if he was on the verge of discovering something. He finally looked up.  
  
"Brilliant. Pure brilliance."  
  
"What do you mean Dumbledore."  
  
"Why Fudge, don't you see? It was all to get him in Azkaban."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"You know who. It was all to get Harry in a vulnerable position. There is nothing now to stop him from destroying Harry.  
  
"You mean he was innocent all along? But his wand had performed the spell, he was found at the scene of the crime. Everything pointed to him."  
  
"When I found Harry, he was in shock. Something was wrong with him. He didn't seem to know where he was. There is only one way to solve this. We need to see the Dursley's."  
  
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Something other than the endless screaming filled his ears. Harry heard thousands of metal bars clanging forcefully open. A stampede of feet seemed to shake the earth beneath him. Harry noticed a single ray of sunshine shining on him, but it seemed so much colder than the darkness. Harry pulled all his strength together and hoisted himself up, shaking violently. He had to suddenly clamp his freezing hands to his ears as that all too familiar laughter sharply penetrated the stillness. His doors flew open, and he crumbled to the ground.  
  
"Harry Potter. We meet again." Voldemort stared down at Harry as he tried to stand up. "The great Harry Potter. You aren't so mighty now are you? All alone, the whole world now against you. No one is going to save you." He raised his wand and Harry was floating painfully in the air. He could now see the large swarm of black filling Azkaban. Deatheaters and released prisoners cheered as he was lifted up. Harry could make out faces, such familiar faces. Lucius Malfoy was raising his fist and screaming out. The roar traveled all the way up to the cold sky. Dementors glided about, and Harry could see the unfortunate souls of the few that were killed, being thrown into the icy water, slowly sinking into the dark depths. He shut his eyes desperately as he was whirled around quickly. Laughter replaced the outcries. Harry came crashing down hard and he raised his head to the sneering faces. One face stood out.  
  
"Snape......." Harry muttered weakly. Snape's face held a strange look. One of pity and nervousness. But the hatred he had for Harry still showed, and Harry knew he would be of no help. Before he could recover he was violently thrown quickly into the air again and he felt his body being smashed hard into a wall. The brick collided with his flesh, and Harry felt blood burst over him. Voldemort lifted him up by his chin. The coldness of his fingers burned his skin.  
  
"Just kill me now," he breathed harshly into his face.  
  
"Oh no Harry Potter. I'm going to let you live, live to see your world bow to me, to see all your loved ones be killed. You're going to live Harry Potter. For now."  
  
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Severus Snape couldn't explain what he was feeling as he saw his young student being tossed around. He didn't know why he felt such; there was no other way to describe it, pity for him. Harry Potter had never been someone he even remotely liked, let alone cared about. But as the blood sprayed out of his body, Snape felt the urge to help Harry. But he couldn't. That would cause more damage than good. He would just have to bare it and hope that no one noticed his stony face. He knew Harry was no ordinary boy, having faced thousands of pains that most people never had to experience. He was always ready to fight. But then again, Harry had never been in Azkaban. He had never been all alone, so utterly alone.  
  
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"WHAT IN BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON? GET OUT OF MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW!" Vernon Dursley screamed as a small group of cloaked figures burst into his house.  
  
"Please calm down Mr.Dursley. We mean you know harm. We just want to talk," said a flaming red-haired man. An old wizard stepped forward, a silver beard nearly touching the carpet.  
  
"Mr.Dursley, may I ask what happened this morning with Harry." The fat man snorted.  
  
"The boy? Ms.Figg came and got him. Haven't seen him since. Good ridden too."  
  
"So, he was missing for a whole day and you did nothing!" Moody growled loudly. Uncle Vernon jumped back slightly.  
  
"Yeah, that's right."  
  
"I think that's all," Dumbledore said quickly. They all popped away, leaving Vernon Dursley just as his rage was about to burst.  
  
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"It was an imposter Albus?"  
  
"I'm afraid so Arthur. Ms.Arabella Figg is away right now on business for the Order. She's been gone for a week."  
  
"So what are we going to do? We can't leave Harry in there." For the first time in his life, Mr.Weasley saw Dumbledore look old, as if the familiar twinkle had never existed in his eyes.  
  
"I don't know Arthur. I just don't know."  
  
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A/N: I hope you liked this chapter too. And no, nothings going to get better. 


End file.
